Amalgamator.



No. 699,550. Patented May 6, |902.,j

J. MGKELVEY.

AMALGAMATOR.

(Application led Sept. 23, 1901.)

(llo Model.)

l l l /W/. wmf Ma, /l/wf/W/s/ I gw www? and the sides of and ends of P.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

`JONATHAN MCKELVEY, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- jFIFTH TO WILLIAM H. STIGLITZ, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

AIVIALGANIATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 699,550, dated May 6, 1902.

i Application filed September 23, 1901. Serial No. 76,139. (No model.)

appertains to make and use the same, refer` ence being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. t l

In the drawings, Figure l is a transverse` sectional view ot' my amalgamator through the linea: a: of Fig. 2. Fig.\2 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the same on the line a5 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the amalgamator. tail view of the column C, showing the inclination of the slots therein. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of a suitable construction of valve which may be employed to'permit withdrawal of amalgam.

Mymachine,constructed,preferably,ofiron castings, consists of a caseP, oblong, with rounded ends in horizontal cross section, within which is arranged a central tubular feed or slnice columnvC, surmounted bya detachable funnel I, extending above the top Q of the case P. The lower end of this sluicecolumn, which in front and rear rests on the sides of P, opens into a mercury-holding basin formed by the bottom of the case P below the line IV, which marks the top surface of a body of mercury. The column C is surrounded by a chamber Il, formed by the three walls Y 4Y and Y and the front wall of P, as shown in Fig. l. The rear cross-wall Y is placed a short distance inside the rear wall of P, forming a small chamber H', as shown. Thewalls Y incline inwardly till their bottoms impinge on the outer surface of C. On opposite sides of the chamber H in chambers G G are arrangedoverflow-pipes A and B, Whose top diameters are twice as great as that of C and which taper downward to smaller dimensions till their lower ends meet the center column In the in- Fig. 4 is a sectional dener wall of this chamber II is an aperture S', communicating with the chamber I-I, and in its side walls are apertures Z Z, communicating with chambers G, formed between the outlet-pipes A and B and the walls of the case P. Through the walls of the sluicecolum n C are apertures E, constructed so as to be at an angle of fortyve degrees to the vertical axis of the column and inclined in their passage through the walls of the column at a similar angle toits horizontaldiameter. the bottom of the column are apertures E, constructed at downward angles to the vertical axis of about twenty degrees and angles Near l of about forty-'live degrees tothe horizontal to the horizontal diameter of the pipeand cause the water to enter the overiow-pipesin a way which causes the material therein to be given a whirling motion. A.,

i R is an aperture in the rear wall ofthe case P (shown in Fig. 3 and in dottedy lines in Fig. 2) for the admission of waterunder pressure through a pipe.

S is the end of a valve-handle which controls the aperture S in the inner wall Y of the chamber H'. S is shown in Fig. 3 and in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

F is a flange around the upper edge of the wall P, to which the ltop Q is fastened by nutbolts.

The operation of myamalgamator maybe described as follows: The bottom of the case P is filled with mercury up to the line W.

`The gold-bearing sand or other disintegrated gold-bearing material is poured into the funnel I and passes down through the tubular column C into the mercurywell. At the same time water under pressure is admitted through the aperture R into the chamber H', whence it passes through the opening S into the chamber H andl thence through the aper`- tures E and E into the sluice-column C and through the apertures ZZ into the chambers G and thence through the apertures D D into the overflow-pipes A and B. The water passing into the descending gold-bearing material through the apertures E is given a whirl- LGO ing downward motion, which, in order to prevent too much disturbance of the mercury and liability to its being carried oft in the tailings,isbroken by the water coming th ron gh the apertures E near the bottom at anv angle nearer the horizontal. The gold-.bearing material after passing through the mercury and depositing its gold is carried up through the overflow-pipes A and B, from which it iiows through exit-openings Q', which are preferably formed inthe cover Q and register with the open ltops of the overow-pipes A and B. In said overflow-pipes the gold-bearing material is still further broken up by the whirling motion given to it in there bythe .water coming through the apertures D D, and thus encouraged to drop any particles ot' gold that have been protected from contact with the mercury. When it is desired to *clean the voutlet-pipes A and B, the aperture S is v closed bythe valve S and the water passes through the apertures Z Z into the chambers Gr and thence through the apertures D D into the outlet-pipes A and B.

The means for withdrawing the amalgam is shown in Figs. 2,`3, and 5 and embraces a hollow screw-valve K at the bottom of the ycase P. Vrepresents oneside of a stand I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Paten t, is-

Yl. In au amalgamator, the combination with a case having a mercury-holding basin and provided with chambers and having means for admitting water under pressure to said chambers, of a sluice-tube in one of said chambers and an outlet-pipe in another of said chambers, said tube and pipe each having communication with said basin and each having series of openings for the admission thereto of Water from their respective chambers, substantially as described.

2. An amalgamator embracing a casing having a mercury-holding basin and a sluice-tube in communication wip-th said basin, and means for admitting water to said sluice-tube embracing series of downwardly-inclined openings therein of which the lower ones are at an angle to the others and a water-pressure chamber surrounding the sluice-tube, for the purpose set forth, said amalgamat'or also having means through which water is supplied thereto, means for withdrawing amalgam and conducting means for the tailings..

3. An amalgamator having its sluice-tube provided with a series of downwardly-inclined openings of which the lower ones are at an angle to the others,said amalgamator also having a basin for mercury in communication with said sluice-tube and a conducting means for tailings in communication with said basin, combined with a water-supplying means.

4. In an amalgamator, the combination with a case having a mercury-holding basin, provided with means for withdrawing amalgam therefrom,said casingalso having outerchambers, an intermediate chamber and a separate chamber having openings leadingto said outer and intermediate chambers and provided with means for the admission of water under pressure to said separate chamber,in combination with overflow-pipes in said outer chambers, having apertured walls for the admission of water thereto, and a sluice-tubein said intermediate chamber, having openings for the admission of water from said intermediate chamber, said pipes and tubes having communication with said basin, substantially as described and for the purposes specified.

5. In an amalgamator,the combination with a case having a mercury-holding basin, provided with means for withdrawing amalgam therefrom,said casing also having outer chambers, an intermediate chamber and a separate chamber having openings leading to said outer and intermediate chambers, and means through which water under pressure is admitted to said separate chamber, of a sluicetube in said intermediate chamber, having a seriesof downwardly-inclined apertures for the admission thereto of the waterI from said intermediate chamber, the apertures near the lower end of said tube extending through the wall of the same at an angle nearer the horizontal than those above, and overiiow-pipes in said outer chambers, having non-radial apertures in their walls for the admission of Water from their respective chambers, said tube and pipes having communication with said basin, substantially as described and for the purposes specified.

6. An amalgamator having its sluice-tube provided with a series of downwardly-inclined openings of which the lower ones are at an angle to the others, said amalgamator also havingabasin for mercury in communication with said sluice-tube and an overflow-pipe in communication with basin, said overllow-pipe being formed with apertures so arranged as to cause the water entering the pipe through the same to give a whirling motion to the material in said pipe, and means through which Water is supplied to said sluice-t-ube and overflowpipe.

In testimony whereof I -aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JONATHAN MCKELVEY.

/ Vitnesses:

JULIA KENNER, JOHN DUNcAN.

IIO 

